Senior Director, Finance Processes & Systems

CONDÉ NAST; London; On-site; GBP 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

A global media company in London seeks a Senior Director of Finance Process and Systems to enhance finance operations with a focus on Workday ERP and team leadership. This role requires strong finance skills and experience in driving process improvements. The company values diversity and offers attractive benefits including 25 days holiday and a competitive pension scheme.

Benefits

25 days holiday

Competitive pension scheme

Private healthcare

Gym membership

Learning hub courses

Qualifications

• Significant experience in senior Finance management or transformation roles.
• Proven track record in leading Finance improvement projects.
• Excellent skills in process mapping and optimisation.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of 6 Finance Analysts to enhance finance processes.
• Provide ongoing support for Workday Finance and EPM systems.
• Manage multiple projects from discovery to implementation.

Skills

Workday Finance ERP

Finance process optimisation

Project management

Strong communication

Education

Finance qualification

Tools

Oracle EPM

Salesforce Sales Order Management

Job description

Condé Nast is a global media company producing high-quality content across print, digital, video and social platforms. The portfolio includes Vogue, Vanity Fair, Glamour, Self, GQ, The New Yorker, Condé Nast Traveler/Traveller, Allure, AD, Bon Appétit and Wired, among others.

Location

London, GB

Condé Nast is a global media company, home to iconic brands including Vogue, GQ, Glamour, CN Traveller, Vanity Fair, Wired, The World of Interiors, House & Garden and Tatler, among many others. We operate in 32 markets worldwide with a footprint of more than 1 billion consumers across print, digital, video and social platforms. Condé Nast thrives on collaboration, and our teams come together in the office four days a week (Monday - Thursday). We value diversity of background, views and cultures and celebrate people for their personal qualities, skills and contributions, recognising the power our brands have to influence and shape culture.

The Role

The Senior Director, Finance Process and Systems is responsible for leading a team of 6 Finance Analysts focused on ensuring widespread adoption of CN\'s global Finance processes and systems, including user support and delivering initiatives to drive standardisation and improvement in line with overall Finance goals. The role reports to the London-based Executive Director Corporate Finance, Tax and Treasury.

After a multi-year transformation program, CN Finance operates with a global Finance systems platform (Workday Finance ERP, Workday Adaptive for Workforce Planning, Oracle EPM, Salesforce Sales Order Management, supplier On Boarding and Kyriba Treasury Management). The organisation is structured around clear lines of responsibility for Controlling and Finance Functional Business Partnering, with Market, Functional and HQ Controlling and Finance Business Partners supported by Finance teams located in Bangalore, India. There remain opportunities to standardise and strengthen Finance processes and systems to improve control frameworks, enhance process efficiency, maximise cash flow, ensure regulatory compliance and streamline key Finance reporting and planning activities. Further improvements include opportunities to transfer activities to other locations and adopt a more process-oriented approach, including in the Bangalore Controlling Operations team.

The role will work closely with Finance stakeholders to determine priorities and plans, and with CN\'s Technology team responsible for maintaining and developing the Workday Finance technical solution, including management of business process configuration, security and integrations. The ideal candidate combines strong finance skills, systems acumen, analytical capabilities to drive innovation and efficiency, and program management experience. Based in London, this role offers a unique opportunity to contribute to a fast-moving iconic global media organisation.

What will you be doing?

Finance User Support and Workday / EPM Systems Administration

In conjunction with CN Technology, provide ongoing support to Workday Finance and EPM users including:

• Perform “first pass” analysis of issues raised by users and determine appropriate resolutions, especially at critical times during month-end / year-end and budget / planning cycles
• Collaborate with CN\'s Technology team to support Workday Finance releases and with Oracle on EPM releases, including leading preparation and execution of testing and training prior to deploying new features into production
• Design and build reports and planning outputs required to support all Finance users
• Identify opportunities to improve data quality across systems, including ensuring consistent use of charts of accounts and high-quality master data across systems

Roadmap Development and Deployment

• Support the development and obtain approval for the roadmap of future enhancements
• Utilise Finance functional and business expertise to gather and analyse information from multiple sources to provide recommendations to achieve business objectives and resolve issues
• Manage a diverse portfolio of projects from discovery through implementation and post-delivery optimisation, ensuring global adoption and minimising market-specific requirements to only Design Authority approved country legal and statutory requirements
• Stay informed on industry trends and advancements (e.g., AI) and proactively engage with users to identify opportunities to improve processes and systems

Finance Process and System Adoption

• Act as a subject matter expert for all Finance processes and systems, advising on proper use of Workday and EPM in support of overall business operations
• Develop change management strategies to ensure smooth adoption of new processes and systems
• Develop and deliver user guides and training to empower end users and promote self-sufficiency
• Evangelise Workday and EPM within Finance and the wider business

Finance Process Analysis

• Leverage business and Finance knowledge to identify opportunities for process optimisation
• Work with Finance users to define and document business requirements
• Determine process flows and documentation to standardise, streamline and automate Finance activities
• Perform benchmarking and support operational KPI development and reporting to track performance against targets
• Collaborate with other Finance system owners (e.g., OMS, CN On Board, Kyriba) and functions (Technology, Procurement, Sales, People) to ensure data, processes and systems are aligned

Team Leadership

• Manage the activities of 6 Analysts located in UK, US, Spain and China, setting goals/targets and providing coaching to develop capabilities and improve performance
• Periodically review team activities to maximise user support and delivery of Finance goals
• Participate in activities that drive engagement, improve performance, career development and satisfaction

Who you are

• Strong understanding of Workday Finance ERP and familiarity with EPM applications (ideally Oracle EPM but not essential)
• Significant experience in senior Finance management, consulting, or transformation roles
• Finance qualification preferable, with post-qualification experience across Finance activities
• Proven track record of leading Finance improvement projects across process, technology and organisation
• Excellent skills in process mapping, design, performance measurement and optimisation
• Experience in project environments with delivery focus and change-management to achieve high user adoption
• Familiar with working in a large matrix international media organisation, or equivalent
• Comfortable partnering with in-house Technical teams and software vendors for BAU operations and project delivery
• Strong communication, collaborative approach and ability to engage users to gain support for new ideas

Condé Nast is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, age, familial status and other legally protected characteristics.

Benefits

• 25 days holiday (plus bank holidays) and extra days of annual leave if you move house or want to volunteer
• Competitive pension scheme, Bupa Private Healthcare, Season ticket loans and eye tests
• Wellbeing tools, including core hours, 10 remote days, Employee Assistance Programme, gym membership and cycle to work scheme
• Dog-friendly office and magazine discounts/subscriptions
• Condé Nast Learning Hub with courses available in local languages
• Employee Resource Groups for shared objectives and community priorities

What happens next?

If you are interested in this opportunity, please apply below. You can update your resume or upload a cover letter via your candidate profile. Please upload your CV highlighting why you\'d love this role and why you\'re a great match. We value the time and effort behind every application; submissions are reviewed by a member of our talent team and we do not use AI-assisted technology to review applications.